Consultation Digest Issue 58, 14 April 2020: Consultations almost as rare as hens' teeth.

Just one new consultation for you this fortnight, but it’s a fun one to respond to online; it will amuse you, encourage you and perhaps even enrage you! Do delve into Item 1.1, and then read on for our other news.

Contents

Section 1: Current Consultations

1. **NEW** Scottish Government, Climate Change Plan — Climate change and you consultation , closes 29 April
2. North Lanarkshire, Proposed New Road, Airdrie, online consultation, closes 30 April

Section 2: Forthcoming Consultations

1. No news is no news from Glasgow City Council?
2. Notes for consultations of the future

Section 3: Consultation Feedback

1. Glasgow, Hutchesontown (New Gorbals), Parking Controls, GoBike submission

Section 1: Current Consultations

1.1 **NEW** Scottish Government, Climate Change Plan — Climate change and you consultation , closes 29 April

Transform Scotland brought this one to our attention and we are sure many of you out there will wish to let the Scottish Government know your views on this important topic!

Here’s the information from the Transform Scotland website:

“The Scottish Parliament is scrutinising the Scottish Government’s Climate Change Plan. Part of the Plan is about behaviour change, and the Environment, Climate Change & Land Reform Committee is looking for ideas relating to what people would be willing to do to reduce their own emissions and what the Scottish Government should be doing to support these changes.

On the Scottish Parliament consultation website, you can submit your idea, support other ideas, and take part in the debate.”

Please do go to this website, login and approve or disapprove all the suggestions that are already there. It’s clear that the motor lobby has been out in force: one respondent even said that cycling is just for people who have all day to get somewhere!

1.2 North Lanarkshire, Proposed New Road, Airdrie, online consultation, closes 30 April

This was first covered in Digest 56, but in Digest 57, Item 1.3 we gave you the details of the online consultation that is currently open. The link to all the consultation information is here. Here’s the paper form that may be used instead of completing the survey questionnaire on line and you may see quite clearly from Question 2 that the whole thrust of the consultation exercise is towards the people who currently drive:

“2. If you were to travel in the direction of Cumbernauld or Motherwell / M74 how would you usually get there?

Use the A73 / local roads (please continue to question 3)

Use the motorway network (please go to question 5)“

The more roads there are, the more traffic there will be on them. This truth has been clear since the 1960s when the major motorway construction programme began in Britain. Once the current Covid 19 crisis is over, all steps possible should be taken to ensure that motor traffic levels do NOT return to previous levels. The current clean air and lack of pollution should teach us that, if nothing else.

If you live, work or travel within the Airdrie area, we suggest that you complete the survey questionnaire.

Here’s the GoBike letter of opposition to the proposals.

Section 2: Forthcoming Consultations

2.1 No news is no news from Glasgow City Council?

Almost nothing has been heard from Glasgow City Council, or any other council, over the last 3-4 weeks and on Thursday last week GoBike phoned GCC, hoping to speak to one of the Section Heads who manages consultations that are issued to us. The call was transferred to a support worker, working from home, who informed us that our request for a brief update on the current state of affairs would be passed on and a return phone call made. That return call has not yet been received. However, the support worker did give the impression that consultations are on hold just now. Wonder what they are all doing?

2.2 Notes for consultations of the future

You might have been staying at home to improve your cycling skills but, if you have been getting out and about you will have noticed that the roads are quieter, but there are some speed merchants out there in their cars and vans. Unfortunately far too many people are still too worried about motor traffic and are cycling on roadside footways / pavements to get their daily exercise.

This clearly demonstrates that we need good quality cycling infrastructure, and not cycle lanes such as these, photographed recently in the east of the city:

Regular readers will be aware of GoBike’s concern about speed cushions and their widespread use in the city, pushing anyone who chooses to cycle either into the gutter our out into the traffic. Here’s a scary photo that GoBike member, Calum M, sent in of speed cushion avoidance near his home.

It is seeing this poor infrastructure that encourages GoBike to campaign and we need your help. If you are not at home competing with the hamster do please take note of the (normally) busy roads where there is inadequate, or no, cycling infrastructure, so that when the Local Authorities are back in action, we can all redouble our efforts to make Glasgow and all the surrounding areas an efficient and happy place to cycle.

Section 3: Consultation Feedback

3.1 Glasgow, Hutchesontown (New Gorbals), Parking Controls, GoBike submission

This preliminary consultation, to assess residents’ views, closed yesterday, 13 April and GoBike submitted a response, using the form that was published online.

GoBike is pleased that, should the proposals be carried through, commuter car parking is to be addressed in this area, delighted that on 9 streets, which are to be made one-way to motor traffic, two-way, ie with flow and contraflow cycling will be allowed, but we do have one concern, which relates to displacement. Last year, GoBike supported parking restrictions for the Laurieston area, to the west of the Gorbals, so displaced commuters can’t move there. Unfortunately, there already appears to be some commuter parking in Glasgow Green and around the Barras, so we hope the City Council will prevent any further moves by commuters to leave their cars all day north of the Clyde.

There will be 2 further stages in this consultation:

1. The Stage One, limited and not for public release, consultation, in which GoBike is now included.
2. The Stage Two Public Consultation when any necessary Traffic Management/Regulation Orders are published in the press and which we will bring you through these Digests.

Hopefully, we will have a wee bit of news for you in a fortnight but, whatever happens with consultations, do try to stay safe.